Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

By Grace Lin

Lin, Grace. 2009 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. NY, NY: Little Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-0316-11427-1

PLOT SUMMARY:

Minli and her family live in a poor village.  One day after hearing a tale from Ba she decides she is going to change her family’s fortune.  Ba’s tale is about the Old Man in the Moon and his power to write people’s futures. 

Minli purchased a gold fish from the gold fish man.  She ends up setting her free because she decides it’s unfair for her family to have another mouth to feed when they can barely feed themselves.  When she sets the gold fish free it tells her where the Old Man in the Moon is. Minli sets off on a journey to see him and runs into many interesting characters including a dragon.  When Minli finally reaches the Old Man she asks him why Dragon cannot fly, the Old Man tells her what to do and she does it.  Dragon is now able to fly, and he gives her the pearl she pulled off him which makes him able to fly. 

The pearl was worth a fortune, and she gave it to the king and the shadow covering her small village faded away.  She brought good fortune upon her village and her family.  Minli’s journey changed everything.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The story transfers the reader back and forth between two worlds, the old world with fables and tales and the new world where Minli is off on her quest.  The story is interseing and keeps the reader’s attention.  The description on the characters is vivid and realistic.  Minli is a hopeful young girl with courage that enables her to go on a journey to change the lives of her family and town.  Ma has lost hope and is tired of being poor. Ba tells Minli tales to encourage her and keep her hopeful.  Dragon helps Minli with her quest, he stays with her and in the end he is able to fly.  Minli is looking her place in the world; she is trying to discover where she and her family fit.  The novel is a coming of age story that follows the main character as she grows into a young woman. 

The images in the book, one per chapter are vivid and add to the story.  The reader can see exactly what the author is talking about in the story.  The plot is logical and follows Minli through her journey and to its conclusion.

CONNECTIONS:

*Parts of this story could be acted out in reader’s theater style.

*The history of gold fish could be looked up. One could see what gold fish represent and how they were used in other cultures.

*Paint dragon in how you would expect him to look from the description in the book.

REVIEWS:

Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter. Grades 3-6. --Andrew Medlar

~Booklist